Cammy seems to be playing as well for us right now as he has ever. If this is the kind of hockey he's going to be playing for years to come, he'd be a great guy to have on our team going forward, and his play is a shining example for our young stars. He can legitimately change a game with his scoring touch, and adds a touch of credibility to our forward corps.

In the other corner:

Given this is about as well as we've ever seen him play during a regular season, his value is probably going to be at a maximum at the deadline. I don't think teams would blink at a first rounder +, especially given his playoff track record. His play might be inspired by the thought of moving to a contender at the deadline, and we don't know whether he would be happy staying through the rebuild.

So, what would we prefer to do, keep him or trade him? Perhaps a poll?

I vote to trade him. Year 1 of the rebuild and his value is high after we acquired him when it was at a low. Can we afford to risk his value declining going into year 2 of our rebuild? I'm not the most experienced investor, but I see some smart asset management in selling him.

He is our only legitimate 1st line player and I love his desire to win (which is why he will probably want to go to a contender). I think he is the right kind of veteran to have around the kids.

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I think this is key, having players who truly want to be here through a rebuild are going to be hard to find, and if one of those players is a legitimate top end player with leadership traits, I'm not sure we can afford to lose him.

I would say trade him. I don't think we can afford to let him walk for nothing, and as he is doing so well now we should be able to get a good return. Think about the last draft and the quality of players we got that would be in the same pick range.

I think it largely depends on him. And depending on where we are come trade deadline, which looks likely we won't be in a playoff hunt, then I think it may be a good move to deal him. However, I do acknowledge the fact that we do need some quality guys and the fact that he is our only topline player so there may be real value in keeping him. But he is a vet so if he would like to go for greener pastures then I think the right move is to trade him.

ItÂ´s kind of hard to say, but in my opinion we should keep him. At least one experienced and proven 1st liner should remain in the roster even through a rebuild. His skills are extremely valuable in regards to develop the prospects like money, sven, etc.

On the other hand, if the right offer would come along it would be worth considering to move him. I mean in a deal that would land us someone like hertl + (i know this is only hypothetical, but I really liked his play yesterday!)

ItÂ´s kind of hard to say, but in my opinion we should keep him. At least one experienced and proven 1st liner should remain in the roster even through a rebuild. His skills are extremely valuable in regards to develop the prospects like money, sven, etc.

On the other hand, if the right offer would come along it would be worth considering to move him. I mean in a deal that would land us someone like hertl + (i know this is only hypothetical, but I really liked his play yesterday!)

Personally, I agree. But I guess there are lots of folk out there who think that he needs to prove himself a bit more before being worth someone like cammy (if cammy had a good contract for some years)

Considering that Cammy will be UFA at the end of the season, nobody would trade Hertl for him!

For Cammy, you might be able to get a prospect on the level of Klimchuk or maybe Pouliot, but not Hertl. If your main target is a good prospect, then you probably get a 2nd as a draft pick in addition. Maybe we get Dumoulin and a 1st from the Pens at retained salary?

Yeah, I'm of the opinion to keep him here IF he wants to stay and wants to be part of the rebuild. I see value in him on both sides of the equation.

Towards the end of last season and the start of this season, I was lead to believe that the organization was shopping him around and that he didn't want to be here, but now I'm not sure. He certainly plays like he wants to be here.

For Cammy, you might be able to get a prospect on the level of Klimchuk or maybe Pouliot, but not Hertl. If your main target is a good prospect, then you probably get a 2nd as a draft pick in addition. Maybe we get Dumoulin and a 1st from the Pens at retained salary?

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I think our ideal targets are teams that have already committed to winning this year and aren't finding the success they thought they would. I think right now those teams are Columbus, Ottawa, Philadelphia, NYI, NJD, Dallas, Winnipeg.

I think out of these teams Winnipeg, Dallas, and Philly are our best targets.

I know that right now, he is our only legitimate first liner. I guess the point of the rebuild is to think that when we are competitive, we would hope that there are young guys to replace him. Until then, we would probably like to have him on the team, but what is the potential cost for holding him until then? For example, if we hold on to him this year and trade him next, then any draft picks we get for him will be an additional year from being ready. We also run the risk of his play growing apathetic and his value decreasing from what I consider to be maximum value right now.

Frankly, if Baertschi was playing at his potential this year, we could legitimately argue that he could replace Cammalleri as soon as next year, but right now that looks doubtful, and Baertschi will probably only be capable of handling a more sheltered role for at least another season, if not forever.

In a vacuum, Cammalleri should absolutely be traded. But in reality, it depends on whether he wants to Tay here, and what the teams plans to do with Stajan, Stempniak, Glencross, Galiardi, and Hudler. You can't keep all the vets, but at the same time, you can't trade all of them away either. It's also possible that Cammalleri's play this year is largely due to Feaster's insinuation that if he wanted a trade, he'd better play for it.

Have to consider the management side of this. Is it better to re-sign Stempniak and trade away Cammalleri as well as Hudler or let Glencross go in a few years to make room for players coming in or keep Cammalleri as the teams veteran star upfront while getting less in return by trading other players away?

Personally, if there's a team willing to give up a first plus a second or prospect, then the Flames shouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. If the only offers are terrible, then look to re-sign him.

Trade him, then sign him in the offseason if he wants to come back. He'd have to sign an extension to stay anyways, and this way, he'd be helping the team, and getting a chance to play in the playoffs this year

In a vacuum, Cammalleri should absolutely be traded. But in reality, it depends on whether he wants to Tay here, and what the teams plans to do with Stajan, Stempniak, Glencross, Galiardi, and Hudler. You can't keep all the vets, but at the same time, you can't trade all of them away either. It's also possible that Cammalleri's play this year is largely due to Feaster's insinuation that if he wanted a trade, he'd better play for it.

Have to consider the management side of this. Is it better to re-sign Stempniak and trade away Cammalleri as well as Hudler or let Glencross go in a few years to make room for players coming in or keep Cammalleri as the teams veteran star upfront while getting less in return by trading other players away?

Personally, if there's a team willing to give up a first plus a second or prospect, then the Flames shouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. If the only offers are terrible, then look to re-sign him.

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This year we have Cammy, Stajan, Jackman, Butler and Stempniak as pending free agents (Russell will almost certainly be asked to extend). Next year, its Glencross, SOB, and McGrats. The year after its Hudler, Jones and Giordano. Even after all that, Smid and Wideman are still veteran presence on this team under contract.

What's nice about our contract situation is that we can always have some veteran presence over the next few years during the rebuild. By the time Hudler, Jones and Giordano are pending free agents, Monahan, Colborne, Baertschi, Reinhart, etc. will be veteran guys. Then sophmore or rookies like Poirer, Klimchuck, Jankowski, etc. will have some established pros to guide them, in addition to Wideman and Smid.

I don't see veteran presence being an issue unless its hard to control a locker room when there's too many young guys. Even still, Monahan and Reinhart seem like mature young men who take their jobs seriously and could be outstanding leaders.

Trade him, then sign him in the offseason if he wants to come back. He'd have to sign an extension to stay anyways, and this way, he'd be helping the team, and getting a chance to play in the playoffs this year

This year we have Cammy, Stajan, Jackman, Butler and Stempniak as pending free agents (Russell will almost certainly be asked to extend). Next year, its Glencross, SOB, and McGrats. The year after its Hudler, Jones and Giordano. Even after all that, Smid and Wideman are still veteran presence on this team under contract.

What's nice about our contract situation is that we can always have some veteran presence over the next few years during the rebuild. By the time Hudler, Jones and Giordano are pending free agents, Monahan, Colborne, Baertschi, Reinhart, etc. will be veteran guys. Then sophmore or rookies like Poirer, Klimchuck, Jankowski, etc. will have some established pros to guide them, in addition to Wideman and Smid.

I don't see veteran presence being an issue unless its hard to control a locker room when there's too many young guys. Even still, Monahan and Reinhart seem like mature young men who take their jobs seriously and could be outstanding leaders.